Hoping this launches on time. I'm in Florida for a few days and I have tickets to watch from the LC-39 observation gantry! This will be my first launch in person! I will post pictures after. Hoping to get some snaps of FH if it is on the pad

An Atlas V 411 rocket will launch the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 mission for the U.S. Air Force from Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex-41. SBIRS, considered one of the nation's highest priority space programs, is designed to provide global, persistent, infrared surveillance capabilities to meet 21st-century demands in four national security mission areas: missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.

For prior missions, this customer preferred to place the expended Centaur in the designated disposal orbit (junkyard, from which stages slowly decay into reentry). On this flight, the SRB provides enough energy to allow Centaur to be immediately deorbited.

The Atlas 5 rocket has arrived at its launch pad at Cape Canaveral ahead of liftoff Thursday evening with a US Air Force missile-warning satellite. There is a 90% chance of favorable weather for launch. spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/17/av-…